Washington

The US military has readied 2,000 troops for their potential deployment to the Middle East should the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalates.

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Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the deployment would allow the United States “to respond more quickly” to the crisis, even as the White House clarified that the US forces would not serve in combat roles.

These troops, selected from across the US armed services and currently stationed across Europe, will be tasked with missions like advising and medical support, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Troops not for combat 

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National Security Council spokesman John Kirby asserted that deploying troops “is really about sending a signal of deterrence”.

“We don’t want to see this conflict escalate and widen,” Kirby told CNN. “There are no plans or intentions to put US boots on the ground in combat in Israel.”

Israel-Hamas war: US President Joe Biden to meet Palestine leader

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Biden to begin his Middle East trip

The development comes at a time when Joe Biden is expected to begin his trip to the Middle East on Tuesday (Oct 17) evening to meet leaders of Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Palestine in a bid to de-escalate the situation in the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, Biden will meet Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv for talks. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has already made two trips to Israel since the Hamas attack on 7 October.

Later, Biden is expected to fly to Amman in Jordan for talks about accelerating humanitarian assistance to Gaza, where he will meet Jordan’s King Abdullah, the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.

Also read | Israel-Hamas war: A family attacked on Gaza border was found dead hugging each other

According to Reuters, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said: “He’ll make it clear that we want to continue working with all our partners in the region, including Israel, to get humanitarian assistance in and provide some kind of safe passage for civilians to get out.”

Also read | Russia to revoke ratification of Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

So far, more than 1,400 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, have lost their lives in the unprecedented assault launched by the Hamas terror group on October 7, while at least 3,000 people have died in the retaliatory strikes by Israel.

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